Russell Simmons is sued for rape by lady

Music govt Russell Simmons has been sued for sexual harassment and battery by a former Def Jam Recordings govt.

The plaintiff, who lodged the grievance in New York federal courtroom on Tuesday, has accused the music mogul, 66, of raping her at his house within the Nineties. 

She claims within the lawsuit she was invited to his house, the place he began ‘wrestling’ along with her in a ‘playful’ method, earlier than the ‘state of affairs escalated into aggression.’ 

New York-born Simmons, who based hip-hop and R&B label Def Jam Recordings in 1984 and is value an estimated $340million, is but to reply to the allegations. 

He beforehand claimed to have slept with ‘1000’s’ of girls, and acknowledged {that a} handful have come ahead with ‘compromising’ tales about him. 

Simmons mentioned in an interview, earlier than this lawsuit got here out: ‘Of course I’ve been insensitive, however definitely by no means been forceful in any of my relationships.’ 

The lawsuit states: ‘Ms. Doe repeatedly advised Mr. Simmons to get off of her, however he refused. Mr. Simmons proceeded to rape her.’ 

Simmons ‘referred to as folks over to his Manhattan house on a regular basis when he didn’t need to come to the workplace,’ the go well with states. ‘It was widespread to move over to Mr. Simmons’s house as a way to present him one thing or get approval.’ 

On the day of the alleged rape, the plaintiff went to his house to get him to approve a tough reduce video. He was asking her ‘questions on her seuxal preferenences’ and requested if she was sporting a bra.

They went right into a bed room, which was widespread for conferences, the place ‘Simmons had a childlike and playful demeanor and commenced leaping on the mattress whereas persevering with to make sexual advances and asking Ms. Doe to have intercourse with him.’

She was saying ‘no’ earlier than he made a ‘wrestling transfer’ on her, pinning her arms down. She repeatedly tried to rise up and advised him no, the lawsuit states.

The go well with claims: ‘Simmons ignored Ms. Doe’s resistance and proceeded to rape her. After it was over, Mr. Simmons left the room. 

‘As Ms. Doe pulled herself collectively to depart, Mr. Simmons referred to as Ms. Doe to a rest room the place he was now taking a shower with the door open and tried to speak about work for a couple of minutes earlier than dismissing Ms. Doe to return to the workplace.’  

The music exec additionally allegedly harassed her at their workplace earlier than the rape passed off. According to the go well with: ‘He would sit on her desk, lean over her, aggressively invading her private area whereas making sexual innuendos, recommendations, and advances, and rubbing the entrance of his pants.’

He would block her from opening her workplace door to kick him out, the go well with claims.

The Los Angeles lady is described as somebody who was ‘pursuing her profession and fervour as a music govt’ and is now an completed movie producer.  

The lawsuit additionally has made claims for battery, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional misery. 

It claims: ‘Ms. Doe’s profession within the music business was disrupted and derailed by a devastating expertise by the hands of Mr. Simmons. 

‘While at first Mr. Simmons and Ms. Doe had knowledgeable working relationship, Mr. Simmons revealed his true colours and, by means of his assaultive conduct, disabled Ms. Doe’s profession at Def Jam, a job she beloved, on the top of her success and monetary viability.’ 

It was introduced beneath the state’s Adult Survivors Act – however the window for previous sexual misconduct claimants to come back ahead closed in November. 

After the alleged rape, the plaintiff ‘was wrought with misery, the go well with says.

It continued: ‘At the height of her profession success at Def Jam, making award-winning movies for his or her largest artists, she skilled overwhelming nervousness, disgrace, humiliation and debilitating low shallowness. 

‘She suffered frequent panic assaults, struggling to go to the Def Jam workplaces or to perform in her management position. She tried to proceed to work at Def Jam, however simply a short while after the assault, to the shock of friends and colleagues, she gave discover, stop the job she beloved, and moved throughout the nation to California. 

‘She finally confided in a small group of trusted associates and therapists about what occurred—lengthy earlier than the passage of New York’s Adult Survivors Act in 2022.’ 

This comes simply two months after Russell Simmons opened up in regards to the sexual assault allegations which have derailed his profession in a brand new interview shot in Bali.

He claimed he is by no means been violent with anybody, and that he has taken 9 lie detector exams since allegations towards him surfaced six years in the past.

The New York native, showing on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, acknowledged that he’d behaved in a ‘crude’ method and had previous been concerned in ‘compromising conditions’ sexually, amid allegations of sexual misconduct from a minimum of 15 ladies.

‘If you had slept with as many individuals as I had slept with – 1000’s – and we’re speaking about like six folks,’ he mentioned, the latter quantity referring to folks he says he ‘spoke poorly’ to previously.

Simmons, who spends most of his time residing in Bali, Indonesia, the place the interview was filmed, mentioned that he is ‘by no means been violent to anyone,’ which isn’t to say he all the time handled his sexual companions nicely.

‘Of course I’ve been insensitive,’ he mentioned, ‘however definitely by no means been forceful in any of my relationships, all of which I’ve had have been consensual.’

The music mogul advised Bensinger that he has taken 9 polygraph exams in an effort to clear his identify within the wake of the accusations towards him, which had been a part of the MeToo motion that commenced within the fall of 2017.

‘I took 9 lie detector exams, folks do not know that,’ the Def Jam co-founder mentioned. ‘Nine separate – seven from the Chairman of the Polygraph Association – one for every and critical accusation.’

Simmons mentioned that in taking the lie detector exams, he addressed particular verbiage in allegations made towards him.

‘When somebody mentioned, as an example, “I was violent” – one individual mentioned that – and I’ve by no means been violent. Took that,’ he mentioned. ‘And one mentioned I apologized. I by no means apologized about assaulting anybody.

‘But if two folks say it, as a result of one mentioned it, and MeToo, and the second individual mentioned it, then I took a take a look at for it. Three hours per take a look at by two polygraph examiners – one which I’ve by no means executed this to anybody and one, I’ve by no means executed to every particular person.’

Simmons mentioned he believed within the veracity of the lie detector exams he took, saying, ‘Some folks say that they don’t seem to be correct, but it surely’s 94 p.c correct.

‘I did 9 of them, it is fairly clear that I do not consider it,’ Simmons mentioned. ‘I even requested if, “Well, what if I believe it, but it’s not true?” He mentioned, “Your subconscious will get you.”

‘I do not know the way true that’s, however that is what was advised to me by the chairman of the Polygraph Association.’

Simmons mentioned that there have been ‘very grey’ areas through which he may need processed a reminiscence totally different than one other individual concerned may need.

‘I can merely inform you that I used to be in so many compromising conditions, that individuals can have a recollection from 30 or 40 years in the past,’ he mentioned, ‘and it may be totally different from my recollection. And it could possibly be one the place there may be maybe a collaboration.’

Simmons’ household troubles spilled over publicly final 12 months when his ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons and daughter Aoki Lee Simmons aired their grievances with him in June.

Aoki claimed he had been verbally abusive towards her, sharing textual content messages and screengrabs of her communications along with her father.

Aoki defined to Teen Vogue in September about her rationale in going public with particulars of her stormy relationship along with her father, saying that he had negatively impacted her psychological well being along with his mercurial conduct.

‘Part of it was already on the market,’ Aoki mentioned. ‘There had been causes I believed it was cheap to publish as a result of it was taking part in out in, like, a silent bubble.’

Aoki in June posted texts and video of her interactions along with her father in depicting their fractured relationship.

She mentioned the Def Jam co-founder had been ‘terrible to [her] for years,’ and that she’d had important nervousness points because of this.

Aoki mentioned that Russell – who beforehand tried in useless to salvage his status following the sexual misconduct allegations with a publicity marketing campaign – has not been nicely ‘for years.’

She wrote: ‘He wants assist and will not settle for that. He refuses to acknowledge he isn’t himself.

‘He has threatened and bullied my sister, my grandma, he has harassed my grandma in the course of the night time unwell, [sent] a person to my sister’s house at 2am to scare her.’

Aoki mentioned that Russell ‘lashes out at ANYONE who doesn’t say “oh Russell everything is fine,”‘ including, ‘Well it isn’t high quality.’